NYC to lower school zone speed limits to 15 mph under new safety plan

New York City is set to lower speed limits near schools as part of a sweeping safety initiative aimed at reducing injuries and deaths on local streets.

Under a new plan announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn, speed limits in school zones will be reduced to 15 miles per hour at more than 2,000 locations across the five boroughs. The rollout, already underway, is expected to reach all eligible school zones by the end of Mamdani’s first term, including public, private, parochial and charter K-12 schools.

The initiative builds on Sammy’s Law, named for a 12-year-old boy killed by a speeding driver in Brooklyn in 2013, and has become a central piece of the city’s effort to curb traffic fatalities.

The 2024 measure gives the city expanded authority to lower speed limits on individual streets and allows the DOT to reduce speeds in targeted areas without needing approval from the City Council, which still sets the default speed limit.

“Families spoke up after unimaginable loss to fight for Sammy’s Law and deliver our city the power to make our streets safer for New Yorkers,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Today’s expansion of Slow Zones for schools across all five boroughs is just the beginning. Lower speeds save lives, and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect our neighbors as they move about our city.”

Under former Mayor Eric Adams, the city reduced the maximum speed to 20 miles per hour in roughly 250 designated “neighborhood slow zones,” typically on smaller, residential roads. Since those changes were implemented, crashes in those areas dropped by 14 percent and injuries from vehicle incidents fell by 31 percent, according to DOT data.

However, not all residents are convinced the lower limits will be practical in neighborhoods dense with schools. Bob Zolt, who lives across from the Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy and near P.S. 24, questioned how the changes would affect daily driving.

“There are schools all along Independence Avenue that we must pass to drive south,” he said. “I don’t think a 15 mph speed limit will make the area safer. There are schools all over the community and we likely will have to crawl before getting on the highway.”

City officials, however, point to transportation department data showing that speed plays a critical role in crash outcomes. A pedestrian struck at 25 miles per hour is more than three times as likely to be seriously injured as someone hit at 15 miles per hour — a key factor behind the focus on school zones.

Other residents support the goal but say implementation will be key. Patricia Sorkin, a Riverdale mother of three young children, said clearer signage will be essential.

“It really depends on how many students go to those specific schools,” she said. “But in some places, you can’t even tell you’re in a school zone, so the city needs to make sure signage is visible.”

For some, the lower speeds are a reasonable tradeoff. Sam Hutchins said the change reflects a shared responsibility for safety.

“I think it is a great idea to lower the speed limit around the schools, because people do drive recklessly in the area during school hours,” he said. “Even any reasonable person who drives safely and lawfully should support more safety for children.”

At each school location, the DOT will provide a 60-day notice and comment period to local community boards before implementing the new limits.

The city has not yet released a schedule or list of locations for the rollout.